In May of 2008, the Rector Peter Chase blessed four early nineteenth century slate gravestones, which were recently returned to St. Mary’s cemetery by John Rodman, a member of the Board of Directors of the Newton Historical Society. John was cleaning out a garage in Newton where he found the stones. He realized the probable historic significance of the stones, photographed them, and brought the photos to Susan Abele, Curator of Manuscripts and Photographs at the Jackson Homestead for identification. Susan did research on the family names of Neal, Daniell and Mills, but could find no tie to any burials in the three historic Newton cemeteries.

Why the stones were removed from, or never set in, St. Mary’s cemetery will remain a mystery. What we do know is that they were discovered in 1965, in the house at 2321 Washington Street, by the Gale Construction Company. The house, adjacent to the church property, was being razed for the development of an apartment building on the lot owned from 1837 to 1905 by the Neal family. Two of the stones had the family name of Neal. From the house on Washington Street the stones were removed for safe keeping to the garage where John Rodman found them more than 40 years later!

The stones were made of local slate, carved and signed by A.A. Park, R.K. Park and J. Park of Groton and each bore one of the following inscriptions:

True or False: Last Sunday, March 15,2020 was the first Sunday St. Mary’s did not have in-person worship in its 200+ years of history.

False! From our archives, so lovingly tended by Lynn and Bev, we can see that St. Mary’s closed for about four weeks in response what is commonly referred to as the Spanish flu. The service register (*in link below) shows a morning prayer service on Sunday, September 23, 1918 then nothing until Sunday, October 27, 1918. The note reads, “Epidemic of influenza. All churches in greater (?) Boston and Mass in general closed by the Board of Health.” More than 100 years later, we are proud to have taken steps, before any order or mandate was issued, to help “flatten the curve” in our community. We are also so grateful to have alternative ways to connect with one another in this day and age.

This portrait of The Rev. Alfred Baury hangs to this day in our Chapter Room. It was painted during his 25th year as Rector of St. Mary’s. The Rev. Baury preached a remarkable sermon on the occasion of his 25th Anniversary as Rector in which he told the story of the founding of St. Mary’s Church and expressed his “satisfaction of witnessing our scriptural Church advancing, from depression and feebleness, to comparative vigor and strength.” The Rev. Baury and his family our buried in our church yard.

Ever notice the kneelers in your pew at St. Mary’s? Did you know that, like everything else at our lovely historic church, each one has a story? The kneelers are the result of a thirteen-year recent project to redo our one hundred sixty kneelers that was part of the St. Mary’s bicentennial celebration in 2013. Every one of them was handmade by one of thirty-four stitchers.

In June 2018, one of our youth member’s Eagle Scout project was to organize and clean our attic. While clearing out old cardboard boxes, this plaque was discovered on a shelf hidden from view.

We researched and discovered that this plaque was dedicated to the parents – who were born in the middle 1800’s – of two brothers, Julius and Charles Schweinfurth. Both were architects of some repute – one in Cleveland and one in Boston. Buildings in the two cities still stand that were designed by them; including the Episcopal Cathedral in Cleveland. (The present Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts was sometime Dean of that Cathedral.)

The plaque was dedicated to the youth of the parish in the room that was set aside for their use. It brings pleasure to the members of this parish to rediscover this valuable artifact, that has so much to do with St. Mary’s, Boston and Cleveland.

St. Mary’s cornerstone was laid on September 29, 1813. Less than a year later, the church was dedicated as the first Episcopal parish built west of Boston.

Two hundred years later, in 2013, our parish embarked on a year long celebration of this remarkable anniversary. Through special concerts, a ‘historic worship service’, a rededication of the cornerstone, and celebrations of many types and sizes we marked our ministry in this corner of Newton.

Any church – or any other organization – that has not only survived but thrived for over two hundred years has many stories to tell. So we decided to create a place on our website where these stories, or moments from our history, can be saved for our current and future members, as well as the world at large.

About St. Mary’s

Saint Mary’s is a multi-generational, family-friendly parish located near the Newton-Wellesley border in eastern Massachusetts, drawing members from surrounding communities including Weston, Sudbury, and beyond. We celebrate traditional Episcopal services in a relaxed atmosphere, complemented by strong music and youth Christian education programs. We also emphasize outreach to worthy causes our members feel strongly about, with initiatives in the local community as well as nationally and internationally.

Our church building and adjacent graveyard are over two hundred years old – we celebrated our 200th anniversary in 2013 – and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Its physical beauty adds to our worship experience and our sense of community. More importantly, it reminds us that we are part of a heritage that goes back over two hundred years, and of a larger community that goes back nearly two thousand years.

We invite you to explore this site, as well as to visit our church, meet our people and learn more about our community.